Guildford High School – Senior School
Guildford High School Senior School
Org 1: HMC
United Learning
London Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 1SJ
Telephone: 01483 561440
Open events: Regular weekday visitor mornings held throughout the year (see website for details)
Age Range: Senior to 18
Day or Boarding: Day, Day Only
Gender: Girls
Exams offered: A Level, GCSE
Scholarships Tick: Academic, Music
Bursaries and discounts: New entrant bursary
Scholarships and bursaries – further details
Academic and Music Scholarships, worth up to 5% of fees, are available at 11+ and 16+.
At 11+ and 16+ all candidates sitting the main entrance examination are considered for the Academic Scholarship; there is no separate scholarship examination.
At 16+ all candidates are required to sit a general scholarship paper (logic and essay) plus three other papers.
Candidates for the 11+ Music Scholarships should normally have reached Grade 4/5 on their orchestral instrument and their playing should be of distinction quality. Candidates for the Sixth Form Music Scholarships should be Grade 8 standard on their principal instrument.
Age range. Girls 11–18.
Number of pupils. 700.
Fees per term (2025-2026). £8,663.
Guildford High School consistently boasts some of the best academic results in the country and has recently been awarded Independent School of the Year 2024 and South East Independent School of the Decade by the Sunday Times. We are proud to be a local school serving the local community since 1888. Located next to London Road train station, our pupils travel in from the surrounding towns and villages each morning and a successful train buddy scheme ensures our younger pupils do not travel alone.
Pastoral care is woven into the fabric of Guildford High School. We believe that young people learn best when they are happy and, with that in mind, we have carefully created an environment in which pupils feel safe to push their boundaries and challenge themselves. Our annual ‘Well-being Week’ is an established highlight of the school calendar and in previous years has featured yoga, circus skills, a silent disco and mindfulness. Our pastoral staff, led by our Deputy Head Pastoral, are second to none.
Creating an environment in which pupils feel safe and valued allows them to throw themselves into their learning. Joining the Senior School in Year 7, pupils will find themselves studying Current Affairs, Philosophy and Latin in addition to the more traditional subjects you would expect to find on the timetable. As they go through the school, subject options increase again and new subjects such as Greek are offered at GCSE, and Psychology, Politics and Economics at A level.
Homework is kept to a minimum at Guildford High School. In Years 7–9, our pupils spend no more than one hour per evening on homework and no homework needs to be handed in the next day. This allows time for extracurricular activities to be enjoyed and new skills developed. Similarly, no homework is set for holidays – this is time for family visits, relaxing and enjoying hobbies.
Pupils joining us in Year 7 or for Sixth Form come from a huge number of schools throughout the local area and there is no one type of ‘GHS pupil’. We are a community of actors, musicians, artists, scientists, bookworms and sports women. In an environment that buzzes with creativity and rings with laughter, pupils are unlimited in their belief in each other and themselves. Our former pupils go on to achieve great things in all walks of life.
Facilities. Facilities include a brand new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre and Recital Hall, libraries, 11 well-equipped laboratories, whiteboards in every classroom, an Information Technology Centre, a Design Technology Centre, Art and Design Studios, a Food Technology Room, Music Technology Studio, a Careers Room and Dining Hall. A large Sports Hall with indoor courts, gymnasium and 25-metre indoor swimming pool is surrounded by the school's own outdoor pitches. Morton House, our dedicated Sixth Form centre, boasts modern, light-filled spaces with up-to-the-minute technology.
Charitable status. Guildford High School Senior School is part of United Learning which comprises: UCST (a Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in England, number 2780748, and a Registered Charity, number 1016538) and ULT (a Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in England, number 4439859, and an Exempt Charity).
Governors & Staff:
Governing Body: The Council of United Learning
Local Governing Body:
Ms Kate Richards (Chair)
Ms Karen Braganza (E-Safety)
Ms Anna Chalk (Education and SEND Junior)
Mrs Lisa Edwards (Education and SEND Senior)
Mrs Anna Lise Gordon (Safeguarding)
Mr Mandeep Gosal (Comms and Marketing)
Mr Oliver Greaves (Risk)
Ms Zip Jila (EYFS)
Dr Sian Jones (Health and Safety, Sustainability and Wellbeing)
Mrs Katie Leah (Careers and Regulatory Compliance)
Mrs Sian McGrath (Complaints and HR)
Mr Robert Turnbull (Vice Chair and Finance)
Mr Nigel Wickham (Health and Safety and Wellbeing)
Head: Mrs Karen Laurie, BA Hons Leeds
Deputy Heads:
Senior Deputy Head: Mr Duncan Peel, BA Hons Bristol, MA London
Pastoral: Mrs Catherine Gilmore, BSc Hons Bath
Enrichment: Mr William Saunders, BA Hons Bristol, MA St Mary’s Twickenham